The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating ship hulls, or more particularly for servicing, repairing, cleaning and/or painting of ship hulls.
Apparatuses of the above-mentioned general type are known in the art. A known apparatus has a carriage provided with rollers and a container and is movable on a longitudinal wall of a dry dock, wherein a control cab is arranged above the carriage, at least one internal combustion engine and hydraulic aggregate are provided, at least one working platform and/or working device is carried by a mast rotatable about at least one vertical and at least one horizontal axis. The above-described apparatus is disclosed, for example, in the German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,849,079 published on May 22, 1980. The apparatus disclosed therein has a water-receiving container mounted on the carriage and having a water inlet opening which is provided at the side facing toward the dock wall in the upper region and extending approximately over the entire length of the container. A dock water conduit having a plurality of discharge locations is arranged opposite to the water inlet opening. The faucets of these locations can be opened by control means provided in the apparatus in response to sensing of water level in the container.
Another apparatus is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,092. In this apparatus the carriage is provided with a platform arranged in the region adjacent to the dock bottom, and a paint pump, paint container and further paint-spraying devices with required auxiliary equipment are mounted on the platform after the discharge of the water from the interior of the dock. These aggregates are mounted on the platform only during the painting of the ship and must be removed from the platform before filling of the dock. In the filled dock these aggregates must be placed outside of the dock bottom and then transported for a new use as well as mounted on the above-mentioned platform of the apparatus again.